Review: What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones

“My name is Sophie.
This book is about me.
It tells
the heart-stoppingly riveting story
of my first love.
And also of my second.
And, okay, my third love, too.

It’s not that I’m boy crazy.
It’s just that even though
I’m almost fifteen
it’s like
my mind
and my body
and my heart
just don’t seem to be able to agree
on anything.” (description from Goodreads)

What really struck a chord with me in this book is that it’s a free-verse novel. I feel that Sones’ decision to write this novel in verse instead of prose makes it stand out from other young adult novels that might deal with similar characters and situations.

Because of the nature of poetry, there was a certain lack of depth to the story. With that in mind, there was also a much deeper depth to the story than what could be found just through reading this as if it were prose. The poems that make up What My Mother Doesn’t Know range in what they convey. Some are a full scene in Sophie’s day. Others create a full scene with a series of poems, where each might be a bit shorter and focus on one thought. Weaved together in a mixture of lengths and subjects, they create a beautiful patchwork view into who Sophie’s character is.

I really enjoyed the voice in this books as well. Sophie is a 15-year-old girl who is trying to sort out her heart, deal with an abnormal home-life and even touches on the prejudices of her being Jewish. While I’m not, nor have I ever been, a 15-year-old girl, I found her believable and was able to sympathize with her. At times I wanted to reach into the book and give her a good slap, but she’s learning how to go through life and to sort things out for herself.

I’m happy that I went along on this little journey with Sophie figuring out what love is, who she really is, and ultimately a journey about growing up for a teen who could represent many teens in one way or another.

(Being that this is a traditionally published book and priced at around $8 for the ebook, consider grabbing the print version. You can find many copies for much cheaper than the ebook, even including shipping. I only say this because I normally have Indie books on the blog and they’re cheaper. I know we’re all on tight budgets.

About the Author:

Sonya Sones is an American poet and author. She has written four young adult novels in verse, as well as a novel in verse for adults and a picture book.